Battle of Gandharva
|place=Gandharva Starzone |result=Major Imperial victory |side1= Galactic Empire |side2= Free Planets Alliance |commanders1=Kornelias I Viktor von Auffenberg August von Tirpitz Wilhelm von Radetz |commanders2=James Wellington John Malcolm |forces1=140,000 ships 23,863,501 men |forces2=112,000 ships 17,279,032 men |casual1=46,000 ships, 6,636,320 men |casual2=84,000 ships, 12,959,274 men }} The Battle of Gandharva was the first major engagement of Kaiser Kornelias I's campaign to conquer the Free Planets Alliance, taking place from 22 August to 29 August . Having been warned by republican sympathizers in the Empire of the impending Imperial assault, the Alliance government scrambled to gather a force large enough to defend itself. Nonetheless, the battle resulted in heavy casualties for the Free Planets Star Fleet, which was forced to retreat deeper into Alliance territory and replenish itself with reserves. Orders of Battle Imperial Order of Battle The Galactic Empire's order of battle was as follows: *'Supreme HQ Fleet', Fleet Admiral Viktor von Auffenberg *'Tirpitz Fleet', Fleet Admiral August von Tirpitz *'Radetz Fleet', Fleet Admiral Wilhelm von Radetz *'Wittelsbach Fleet', Fleet Admiral Fedor von Wittelsbach *'Schmitt Fleet', Fleet Admiral Paul Schmitt *'Driscoll Fleet', Fleet Admiral Konrad Driscoll *'Westarp Fleet', Fleet Admiral Bruno von Westarp *'Hochstaden Fleet', Fleet Admiral Hans-Georg von Hochstaden *'Göttingen Fleet', Fleet Admiral Friedrich von Göttingen *'Bremer Fleet', Fleet Admiral Martin Bremer The total mobilization of the Imperial Fleet amounted to 140,000 ships and 23,863,501 men. Alliance Order of Battle The Alliance's order of battle was as follows: *'Supreme HQ Fleet', Admiral James Wellington *'2nd Fleet', Vice Admiral John Malcolm *'3rd Fleet', Vice Admiral Karim al Basra *'4th Fleet', Vice Admiral Thomas Findlay *'7th Fleet', Vice Admiral Nikola Velic *'8th Fleet', Vice Admiral Hilduin Gramont *'9th Fleet', Vice Admiral Mark Nardini *'10th Fleet', Vice Admiral Dambyn Magsarjav *'11th Fleet', Vice Admiral Simon Corbett The total Alliance mobilized force had a strength of 112,000 ships and 17,279,032 men. The battle Preparations The combined Alliance Fleet arrived in the Gandharva Starzone on 20 August in preparation for stopping the Imperial invasion force, under overall command of Chief Fleet Commander, Admiral James Wellington. The Alliance Joint Staff anticipated the Empire to have superior numbers and decided to use a strategy of stretching enemy forces to later attack their supply lines. However, they first needed to inflict a large amount of damage on the Imperial Fleet to prevent it from simply overwhelming them in a matter of days. The Gandharva Starzone, located near the Alliance end of the Iserlohn corridor, was part of the route towards Heinessen and was chosen to be the first line of defense as a result. Initial fighting The fighting began around 10:30 on August 22. At the head of the Imperial formation, the fleets of August von Tirpitz, Bruno von Westarp, and Martin Bremer were the first to engage. They were met by the center of the Alliance force, which included the 2nd, 3rd, 8th, and 10th fleets. While this was happening, the rest of the Imperial armada began an envelopment of the Alliance ships, but their movements were noticed. Wellington ordered his fleets to respond, and they began to withdraw out of the ring before it could be closed. The Tirpitz, Westarp, and Bremer Fleets advanced once again an engaged the Alliance center on August 23. Fleet Admiral Viktor von Auffenberg decided to use attrition to wear down the Alliance forces, with both sides taking considerable losses. At 20:35 on August 23, the three Imperial fleets retreated and were replaced in the front line by fleet admirals Hans-Georg von Hochstaden, Konrad Driscoll, and Fedor von Wittelsbach. By that point, both forces had lost about 10,000 ships each, Kaiser Kornelias decided on a charge into the center of the Alliance formation. At 02:50 on August 24, Hochstaden, Driscoll, and Wittelsbach Fleets were joined by the Tirpitz, Westarp, and Bremer Fleets, some 80,000 ships in total. Together, they charged the Alliance center, driving through the 2nd, 3rd, and 8th fleets and destroying the flagships of the latter two, killing Vice Admirals Karim al Basra and Hilduin Gramont. The Alliance formation was forced to withdraw to reform the line. The 11th and 4th fleets arrived from the left and right flanks, respectively, and helped fill the gaps to stop the Imperial offensive. However, the Alliance suffered massive casualties, losing about 18,000 ships and two vice admirals. The Empire lost a total of 7,000 ships during the attack. Breaking the stalemate A stalemate occurred on August 25 and 26 while the two sides reorganized their formations, and a massive offensive began by all Imperial fleets on August 27 at 05:30. With attacks along the whole front, the spread out Alliance combined fleet was unable to hold the line. The 10th and 3rd fleets were practically wiped out, while the rest of them took as heavy as 50% casualties. The total losses for the Alliance amounted to 50,000 ships, while the Empire lost approximately 25,000. Among the dead were vice admirals Dambyn Magsarjav and Thomas Findlay. The remaining 34,000 Alliance ships withdrew towards the edge of the starzone on August 28, and after a skirmish the following day with the fleets of Paul Schmitt, Friedrich von Göttingen, Bremer, Wittelsbach, and Wilhelm von Radetz, in which they lost another 6,000 ships, the Alliance retreated. Aftermath Over the course of the battle, the Alliance took 75% casualties, losing about 84,000 ships and 12,959,274 men, which were irreplaceable losses for the Star Fleet. The Empire's losses amounted to about 46,000 ships and 6,636,320 men. The Alliance combined fleet retreated from Gandharva, towards the fall back point of the Doria Starzone. Meanwhile, the Joint Headquarters Staff at the capital managed to scramble several reserve fleets (1st, 5th, and 6th), which also consisted of many retired or new ships. The reserve and remaining fleets from Gandharva were gathered at the planet Doria in a final attempt to stop the Imperials before the capital. Gandharva